StoryWeaverWonderWhyWeek

February28thMarch6th,2016

ThankyouforagreeingtoconductareadingsessiontocelebrateStoryWeavers
WonderWhyWeek!

PBChampshavebeeninstrumentalinhelpingchildrenacrossthecountrydiscover
thejoyofbooks.ThebooksweresharingduringWonderWhyWeekcoverdiverse
topicsinScience,Technology,EngineeringandMathematics,andwearecounting
onyourinfectiousenthusiasmtotaketheseideastochildrenandmakethemfunand
exciting!

Belowisacuratedcollectionofactivitiesforyoutochoosefromandconductafter
yourreadingsession.Remembertotakephotographsofthesessionanddoshare
themwithasmallwriteupwithus.Ifyouhaveagreatactivityideaforoneofthese
titlesthatyoudliketosharewithus,pleasedoemailusat
storyweaver@prathambooks.org


HowdoAeroplanesFly?
https://storyweaver.org.in/stories/4314howdoaeroplanesfly

Sarlawishedshecouldflyhighlikeaneagleorlikeanaeroplane.Ofcourseyoucan
fly,saidhernewteacher.Here,Sarlasharesallthatshehaslearntaboutflightand
aeroplanes.
Activities

WHICHPLANECANCARRYTHEMOSTCARGO
(Source:
http://kidsactivitiesblog.com/77853/stempaperairplanechallenge
)

Resources
ConstructionPaper
Cellotape
Ahandfulofcoinsofdifferentsizesandweight
Adoorway
Whistle
Whattodo
AskeachchildtocreateapaperaeroplaneusingtheYouTubetutorialshared
here:
https://youtu.be/qhuRw88A8c
Oncetheirplaneisreadyaskthemtostickcoinsofdifferentsizeandweighto
itusingtape(thisiswhyyouneedtouseconstructionpaperandnotregular
A4paper)
Decideuponastartlineandmarkitwithmaskingtapeorevenalongrope.
Makesureitsoppositeadoorway!
Askthechildrentolineuptogetheratthestartingline.
Whenyoublowthewhistletheyalllaunchtheirplanes.
Theplanethatglidesthefarthestwins!

**********
STRAWROCKETS
(Source:
http://lifeasmama.com/10rainydayactivitiesyourkidswilllove/6/
)

Resources
Drinkingstraws
Paper
Glueorcellotape
Scissors

 Crayonsormarkers.

Whattodo
Cutdownpiecesofpaperanddecoratetoyourdesire.
Thenlightlyfoldaroundtheendofastrawandtapethepapertogether(notto
thestraw)likeacap
Thenjustblow!Kidscanseehowfareachcanblowtheirrocketsorcomeup
withtheirowngames.

**********

PAPERPLANETARGETPRACTICE
(Source:
http://lifeasmama.com/10rainydayactivitiesyourkidswilllove/7/
)

Thisisavariationofactivity1,butalittlemoretricky!

Resources
Paper
Largesheetofthickboardpaper.
Adoorway
Whistle
Scissors
Maskingtape.
Whattodo
AskeachchildtocreateapaperaeroplaneusingtheYouTubetutorialshared
here:
https://youtu.be/qhuRw88A8c
Cutoutdifferentsizedholesontheboardpaperandhangitoveranopen
doorusingmaskingtape
Askchildrentolineupatapredeterminedstartingpointwiththeirpaper
aeroplanes.
Blowthewhistle.Kidsmusttryandgettheirplanesthroughtheholesonthe
boardsheet!


HowFarisFar?
https://storyweaver.org.in/stories/4445howfarisfar

Ifyouthoughtyourfriend'shouseontheothersideoftownwasfaraway,youhave
clearlynotreadthisbook.ClimbtheMagicMathLaddertogetfromwhereyouareto
thetopofMountEverest,toKashmir,tothemoon,theSun,andultimately,tothe
edgeoftheUniverse,whichisvery,very,VERYfarawayindeed.Ready,steady,go!
Activities

USEYOURBODY

Resources
AMetrescaleorstripsofnewspapercutandtapedtogetherintometerlong
strips

Whattodo
Findsomethinglongtomeasure.Itcouldbeaboundarywall,thelengthof
gardenpathwayanythingyoulike!
Firstaskthechildrentoliedownheadtotoe,oneaftertheotheralongthe
lengthoftheitemandfindouthowmanychildrenittakestomeasurethe
wall.
Next,askthemtomeasurethesamedistancewiththeirmetrelongstripsof
newspaper.
Whatsthedifferenceinthemeasurement?Talkabouthowitsimportantto
haveastandardisedunitofmeasurement!

GUESSTIMATE!

Resources
Globe
Google

Askthechildrentopickanytwoplacesontheglobeandguesstimatehowfarapart
theyare.ThenuseGoogletofindthecorrectanswer.
Theclosestguestimateswinaprize!

DumDumaDumBiryani
https://storyweaver.org.in/stories/4772dumdumadumbiryani
BashaandSainabiareinapanic.Ammiisill,andSairaauntyhasjustannounced
thatsheisarrivingforlunchwith23otherpeople!BuddingchefBashathinkshe
cancookAmmi'sDumBiryani,butherrecipeonlymakesenoughfor4people.Math
wizSainabijumpsintohelp,declaringthatsheknowshowtoturna4personrecipe
toa24personrecipe.DothesiblingssucceedinservingupatrulyDum
DumaDumbiryani?
Activities
BALLTOSS!
Materialneeded:Aball
Howtoplay
Havethechildrenstandaroundinacircle.
Tosstheballtothenextchild,oranychildifyouwanttomakeitmad.
Sayafoodingredientwhiletossingtheball(keepthisopenacrosslanguages,
foreg:haldiwilldo).
Everytimetheballistossedthechildwhocatchesithastosaythenameof
aningredient.
Firstchildtorepeatorblankisout.
Playtillyouget3winners.

WEAVEASTORY

Resources
Paper
Pens

Whattodo
Putupapictureorafirstsentenceasawritingprompt.
Prompts:
MypetkangaroowashungryandallIhadinthefridgewasapodof
garlic.
MorePrompts:
We,mysisterandI,weremakingourfirstallbyourselves
cakeformymothersbirthday.Whatstartedoutasaspecialdaysoonturned
bizarretosaytheleast

 Andmore:
Rememberthesummerbreakwhenwemanagedtocatchthe
milkstealingthiefofourcolony.
Dividethechildrenintosmallgroupsandhavethemcreatethestoryfromthat
prompt.
Eachchildtakesaturnwritingonesentencetoaddtothestoryandpassesit
ontothenext.
Keepitgoinginthegroupuntiltheyhavefinishedit(maybehelpfultohavea
lengthoratimelimitsothatthestoriesdontgotoooooutofcontrol)
Whenallthegroupshavefinished,askavolunteertocomeupandreadthe
storyout!

THISISNTASPOON....ITSA...
Materialsneeded:Abunchofkitchenutensils(10):ladle/spoon,pressurecooker
whistle,lidofapan,fork,woodenspatula,lemonsqueezer
Whattodo
Dividethegroupintoclustersof5kidseach
Handover2utensilstoeachgroup.
Givetheteams15minutesofpreparationtimetodeviseaplayandusethe
utensilsascreativepropsusethemforcreativepurposesotherthantheir
regularuse.Isitaladleoramicrophone?
OtherTeamsandyouactasjudgesandawardpointstoeachother.
Teamwiththehighestpointswins!


LetsGoSeedCollecting
https://storyweaver.org.in/stories/4407letsgoseedcollecting

JoinTooka,Poi,andtheirbestfriendInjithedog,astheygoaroundcollecting
seeds.TheadventurebeginswhenthethreefriendsmeetPachathetamarindtree.
Activities

TREE20QUESTIONS

Resources:
Blankvisitingscards
Cellotape
Markers
Timer

Howtoplay
Writedownthenamesoftreesandplantsonblankvisitingcards.
Dividethegroupintobatchesof45childreneach.
Avolunteerfromthegroupwillcomeupandchooseacardwithoutseeing
whatswrittenonit.
Stickthecardtothevolunteersforeheadwithoutlettingthemseethenameof
thetree.
Thevolunteerreturnstotheirgroup.Everyoneelseinthegroupcanseethe
nameofthetree.
Thevolunteerthenbeginstoaskquestionsabouttheirplant.Theteamcan
onlyansweryesorno.EgsDoIproduceanoil?AmIfruitbearing?DoIgrow
inIndia?

Thevolunteerhastoguesswhichtreeheisin20questionsorinunder90seconds.

HOPPINGCORN

Youveheardaboutpopcornwhatabouthoppingcorn?Thisexperimentmakescorn
hopupanddownrepeatedlyinacontainerforoveranhour.Itssomuchfunto
watch!

Resources

Aclearglasscontainer

Poppingcorn
21/23cupsofwater
2Tbsp.ofbakingsoda
6Tbsp.ofwhitevinegar
Foodcolouring(optional)

Whattodo
Filltheglasscontainerwithwaterandaddacoupledropsoffood
colouring.
Addbakingsodaandstirwelluntilithascompletelydissolved.
Addasmallhandfulofpoppingcornkernels.
Addthevinegarandwatchthecornstarttohopupanddown!

Talkaboutaterrificwaytoworkonmeasurementconcepts,listeningskills,and
practisingpatiencetoo!

Thesciencebehindit
Whenthebakingsodaandvinegarcombine,theyreacttoformcarbondioxide
(CO2)gas.Thegasformsbubblesinthewaterwhichcirclearoundthecornkernels.
Thebubblesliftthekernelsuptothesurfaceandwhentheygettheretheypopand
thekernelssinkagain.Thehoppingcontinuesuntilthevinegarandbakingsoda
havefinishedreacting.

SEEDSEARCH

1. PrintedWordSearches
2. Timer
3. Highlighterpens

Dividethegroupintoteamsgivethemapreprintedwordsearchorcrosswordswith
aseed/planttheme.ThefirstteamtofinishinunderXXminutesgetsaprize!

Herearesomelinkstoreadymadewordsearches

1.h
ttp://www.havefunteaching.com/worksheets/wordsearchpuzzles/plantswordsea
rchworksheet
2.
https://www.teachervision.com/tv/printables/seedsword.pdf
3.http://www.education.com/worksheet/article/seedsseedlingswordsearch/


BondaandDevi
https://storyweaver.org.in/stories/4782bondaanddevi

Dobestfriendsalwayshavetobealike?DeviandBondaarebestfriends,butDevi
isalittlegirl,whileBondaisaWell,hecanliftheavyboxes,hecanextendhis
armsandlegs,heneverforgetsanythinghestold,hecanbeturnedonandoff.Can
youguesswhatheis?
Activities

CREATIVEWRITING

Resources
Paper
Pen
Colourpencils

Imagineifyouhadarobotofyourveryown!Whatwouldyoucallit?Whatwouldit
looklike?Whatwouldyouprogrammeittodo?Drawapictureofyourrobottoo

CerealBoxRobot
(Source:
http://kidsactivitiesblog.com/64846/recycledcraftscerealboxrobot
)

Materials
1. Oldcerealboxesofdifferentshapesandsizes
2. Bottlecaps
3. Toiletpaperrolls
4. Aluminiumfoil,oldnewspaper
5. Paint
6. Glue
7. Scissors
8. CelloTape
9. Bowls
10. Paintbrushes

WhattoDo
Createsmallworkstationsbyspreadingnewspaperontheground
Oneachworkstationleaveacollectionofsupplies
Letthekidsgocrazyandcreatetheirownrobots!

MAKERSPACEIDEAS

Ifyouhaveslightlyolderchildreninyourgroup,docheckouttheselinksonmaking
simplerobotsthatactuallymove!
1. http://researchparent.com/homemadewobblebot/
myfirstroboticsidea
2. http://researchparent.com/homemadewigglebot/
3. http://www.evilmadscientist.com/2007/bristlebotatinydirectionalvibrobot/


WhereDidYourDimplesGo
https://storyweaver.org.in/stories/4938wheredidyourdimplesgo

LanglenhascurlyhairlikeAppaandacleftchinlikeImma.Itmakesherwonderwhy
brothersandsisters,orparentsandchildrenlookalike.Isshejustacollectionof
traits,then?Somanyquestions,butImmaandAppahavealltheanswers.
Activities

MAKEYOUROWNFAMILYTREE
(Source:
https://in.pinterest.com/pin/442267625880885092/
)
Askthechildrentobringphotosoftheirfamilymemberssiblings,parents,
grandparentsmaybeeventheirpetdog!

Resources
1. Printoutsoffamilytreetemplate
(
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~archibald/Pedigreetree.j
pg
)
2. Gluestick
3. Colourpencils

Whattodo
Childrencansticktheirfamilymembersinthefamilytreetemplateandcolour
itin.
Afterwardtheycanstudyeachotherstreeanddecidewhotheylooklike,or
perhapsolderchildrencandiscusswhotheytakeafterintheirfamily.

WHATDOYOUTHINKA.

Resources
Paper
Pencils
Colourpencils/sketchpens

Whatwouldhappenifamonkeyandagiraffehadababytogether?Whattraits
woulditinheritfrombothitsparents?Drawtheresultswhichwepromisewillbe
hysterical!

JadavandtheTreePlace
https://storyweaver.org.in/stories/5052jadavandthetreeplace

Jadavhasthebestjobintheworld:he makesforests!Howdoeshedoit?Readthisbookto
findout!

Activities

DIYJUNGLETERRARIUM
(Source:
http://hikebloglove.com/tag/terrarium/
)

MaterialsNeeded:

Rocks
PottingSoil
Plants(mosses,fernsandafricanvioletsworkwell)
Jar/containerwithlid(evena2Lsodabottlewillwork)

Procedure:
Fillthebottomofyourcontainerwithalayerofsmallrocksorpebbles.
Addalayerofpottingsoil.Makesuretoonlyfillthecontainerupabout1/3oftheway
full.
Addsomeplants.(Ferns,rocksandtinyplants)
Wateryourtinyforestandplacethelidon.
Settheterrariuminaplacewhereitcanreceivebrightbutindirectsunlight.

Afteralittlebitoftimehaspassed,youcanseethewatercyclehasbegun.
Be sure to open the lid and let some fresh air circulate every couple of weeks to prevent
moldfromgrowing.Dontoverwateriteither.
Clickhere
forimagereferences/inspiration!

TAKEATREEWALK

A nature walk is a fantastic way to get children in touch with plants and animals. You dont
need to go far either. Your local park ishometonumerous insects,birdsandsmallanimals
andwilldojustfine.
(Source:
http://www.ourmontessorihome.com/curriculumscopesequence/botanyzoology/ideasfornat
urewalkwithkids/
)

We love the idea of a Bingo Nature Walk! Make a simple bingo card with 3 rows and 3
columns. Ineachsquaredrawalittlepictureofsomethingforthechildtofind,likeabutterfly,
flower, leaf, etc. If you laminate the card, the child can circle what they find and then reuse
thecardforanotherwalk.


HOWOLDISTHATTREE?

(Source:
http://www.education.com/activity/article/How_Old_Are_They
)
WhatYouNeed:

Tree
Measuringtape
Marker
Pen
Paper

WhatYouDo:
1. Findatreethatisatleastastallasagrownupandwrapthemeasuringtapearound
thewidestpartofthetrunk.
2. Thedistancearoundthetrunkofatreeiscalledthecircumference.Writethis
measurementdownonapieceofpaper.
3. Themeasurementofthecircumferenceininchesisalsotheapproximateageofthe
treeinyears!

DidYouKnow?
Everyyearanewlayerofgrowthoccursjustunderthebark.Sometreeslikefirsand
redwoodsmaygrowmorethanthisinayear,whileotherslikecedarsmaygrowless.This
methodisagoodruleofthumbtoestimatetheageofatree.